Acetylene torch



' R. HOFSTETTER ACETYLENE TORCH Filed July 11, 1921 rill M II/II/I/I/ 'llll/ll/i/mm Ital/6771b?" aberifi ofslelter fllm' W Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT HOFSTETTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

.TO THERMALENE GAS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ACETYLENE TORCH.

Application filed July 11,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT Horsrn'r'rnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofChicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Acetylene Torches, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to acetylene torches of: that kind in which oxygen and acetylene gas are mixed in the proper proportions and discharged'through a nozzle toproduce the :flame which can be employed in the usual and well known manner, for various purposes, such ascutting iron orsteel, or for similar purposes.

Generallystated, the object of the inven- "tion is to provide a novel andimproved con- 'struction and arrangement whereby two or more nozzles for producing flames ofdifierent sizes, depending. upon the size of the et or flame required for any particular purpose, maybe employed interchangeably in connection with'the same torch, in a manner that insures not only the required volume of lmixture for each different nozzle, but also in amanner that insures the correct proportions of the mixture, whereby the proportions in-which the oxygen and the acetylene gas are mixed remain fixed and are not changed, regardless of the volume of the mixtureand thesizeofthe flame produced by the different nozzles '7 which have, of course, discharge passages or outlets of different 'sizes to' enablethe user to substitute joneui'ozzle'ffonanother, on the head of the -torcl 1-, Qther'eby' to change the volumeor size 'of the jet orlfiame which is required todo the'work,

' To these andother useful ends theinven- "tion consists 'in matters hereinafter setforth and claimed and shown-in the accompanying drawings in Wl11Cl1- I Figure 1 is a side elevationof a torch embodying the principles of the invention.

' Figure 2 isan enlarged longitudinal section of the-head and nozzle of the torch.

Figure 3 is an end'view of the mixer includedfin thejhead of the torch.

Figure' l isa longitudinalv section of said mixer on line'41"in Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows an innerend portion of another nozzle in which the passage is some- "'wl'i'at] larger than the one shown in Figure 2.

" "Figure 6 is a similar view showing'said "passagestill larger, and illustrating how the 1921. Serial No. 483,711.

inner end portion of the nozzle is made shorter as the discharge passage of the nozzle grows larger, in the'set or plurality or series of interchangeable nozzles provided with the torch.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a handle 1 to which are connected the tubes 2 and 3 employed respectively, for

supplying the oxygen and the acetylene gas for the head 4 of the torch. Valves 5 and 6 are provided to control respectively, the flow of oxygen and acetylene gas through the handle and through said tubes, in the usual and well known manner.

v The head 4 of the torch, to which the invention more particularly relates, has a screw threaded cap 7 which screws upon the head to hold the nozzle 8- in position as shown. Said nozzle has an inner end portion 9 in the form of a small tube, and this tube extends into the mixer 10 which is beveled at 11 and 12 to engage the bevels 13 and 14 formed on the interior surface of the head; Between'these two bevels is .a

cylindrical chamber 15, and at the end of said mixer there is a smaller chamber 16, as shown in Figure 2, and with this construction it will be seen that the pipe 2 communicates with the chamber 16, while the pipe 3 communicates with the chamber-15, therebyto supply the oxygen and the acetylene gas to the mixer. Said mixer has a central bore 17 for the tube 9, and has three smaller bores 18, 19, and 20 of different lengths. The bore 18 is connected by transverse passages 21 with the bore 17; the bore 19 is connected to the bore 17 by transverse passages 22; and the bore 20 is connected to the bore 17 by transverse passages 23; and it will be seen that all of these transverse passages have continuations or extensions thereof in alinement therewith at the other side of the bore 17 in order to communicate withthe chamber 15, these transverse passages being drilled transversely through the mixer 10- -and23 are arranged in groups, each group being at a different point in the lengthof the mixer." With this construction, it is obvious that by varying the length of the tube 9 which is the inner end of the nozzle, either a i greater or a less number of these transverse passages drilled through the mixer will be left open to communicate with the bore 17, thus controlling the supply of each fluid to the mixer and varying the volume of the mixture to be discharged by the nozzle. The mixer has a plurality of primary oxy gen inlets 18, 19 and 20 and a plurality of acetylene inlets; and each primary oxygen inlet has a plurality of secondary or final inlets which are diametrically opposite and in alinement with said acetylene inlets. As shown in Figure 2 only one transverse passage 21 is open to discharge oxygen into the bore 17, from the chamber 16, and to discharge acetylene gas from the chamber 15 into the bore 17 of the mixer. However, tube 9 a little shorter than the one shown in Figure 2 would leave another passage 21 open, thus increasing the. volume of the mixture. Figures, 5 and 6 show tubes 9 which are still shorter and which, therefore, will leave open an additional number of said transverse passages in the mixer, inasmuch as the bore of the tube is greater in Figure 5 than it is in Figure 2, and is greater in Figure 6 than it is in Figure 5, and such increased diameter of the bore of the nozzle requires an increased supply of mixture of. oxygen and actylene gas. Therefore, in accordance-with the principles of the, invention, each nozzle has either a longer or a shorter inner end portion or tube, and the mixer has a plurality of transverse passages which cooperate with the said tubes of different lengths to automatically vary or change the volume of the mixture in accordance with the size of the bore of the nozzle to be used for the desired work.

It. will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to any particular use, or to any particular gases, inasmuch as hydrogen gas or Blau gas or Pintsch gas, and several others could be readily substituted for acetylene gas, for different kinds of work, should such be found necessary or desirable. Therefore, by the use of the term acetylene in the specification and claims, it will be understood that what is meant is that the torch is adapted to use acetylene gas, or any .of the equivalents or substitutes therefor.

It will be seen that the mixer 10 has a plurality of fluid inlets 18, 19 and 20, and that each inlet has a group of short transverse inlets allotted thereto, the longitudinal inlet 18. or 19 or 20 constituting the primary in- .let, and the short and smaller openings constituting the secondary inlets. The primary inlets 18, 19 and 20 are all of different lengths, so that the groups of secondary inlets are disposed at different points in the length of the mixer, the oxygen being admitted to the mixer from the chamber 16 as previously described. The transverse inlets for the acetylene, whereby the acetylene passes from the chamber 15 into the mixer, are simply continuations of the oxygen inlets, these continuations being spaced from the oxygen inlets a'distance equal to the chamber of the bore 17 previously described. Thus the acetylene inlets are disposed in groups, and it is not only true that the members in each group are disposed at different points in the length of the mixer, but it is also true that the different groups themselves are disposed at different points in the length of the mixer, as well as different points circumferentially thereof, it being observed that the three oxygen inlets 18, 19'and 20 are arranged at equidistant points in the circumference of the mixer.

Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In an acetylene torch, the combination of a head having a mixer therein for mixing one fluid with another, and a nozzle having an inner end portion to receive the mixture from said mixer, to produce a discharge of the desired character from the outer end of the nozzle, said mixer having means whereby the supply of each fluid thereto is condepending upon the length of said inner end portion.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said .means comprising a plurality of longitudinal bores of different lengths, a central and larger bore, and a plurality of transverse passages connecting each smaller bore to said larger bore, with continua-tions of said transverse passages extending in alinement therewith from the central bore to the outer sides of the mixer, so that the inlets for said transverse passages are located at different points in the length of said mixer, an oxygen chamber communicating with said smaller bores and an acetylene gas chamber communicating with the outer ends of said transverse passages whereby the oxygen and the gas are mixed in said larger bore in the desired proportions and in volume according to the number of transverse passa es left open by said inner end portion, whifii latter extends into said larger bore a distance to leave open the desired number of said transverse passages necessary to produce the volume of mixture required by the nozzle.

4; A structure as specified in claim 1, said mixercomprising a separate element having a central bore to receive said inner end portion, and having beveled portions at the 0pposite ends thereof, with a cylindric space between said bevels, said head having means for engaging said bevels, and a cap to draw the nozzle into place and to thereby force said mixer into position to form tight joints where said bevels occur.

5. In an acetylene torch, a mixer therein for mixing a plurality of fluids before the final discharge thereof from the torch, having a plurality of inlets of diflerent lengths for one fluid extending longitudinally thereof, with one or more transverse inlets extending inwardly from each longitudinal inlet, whereby these last mentioned or final inlets are disposed at different points in the length of the mixer, as Well as at different points circumferentially thereof, inlet means for admitting another of said fluids to the mixer, and means extending into the mixer to discharge the mixture therefrom and serving to determine the volume of the discharge by closing one or more of said final inlets.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5, said inlet means comprising other transverse inlets disposed in alinement with said final in ets.

7. A structure as specified in claim 5, said inlet means comprising other transverse inlets toadmit the other fluid.

8. A structure as specified in claim 5, said inlet means comprising transversely disposed inlets which are also controlled by said means extending into the mixer.

9. In an acetylene torch, a mixer having a plurality of inlets for an oxidizing fluid, as Well as a plurality of inlets for a combustible fluid, whereby to produce the desired mixture, and discharging means extending into the mixer to close one or more of the inlets for each fluid to control the volume of the discharge Without varying the proportions of the mixture.

ROBERT HOF'STETTER. 

